Juicer Reviews

By: Kelly Burgess on February 02, 2017

Editor's note: Breville and Omega still rule for the serious juicer, but if you just need the occasional glass of juice -- or just a few tablespoons -- Proctor Silex and OXO are tops. We even name a few high-end looking manual and small electric juicers that add both form and function to your home bar set up.

Best centrifugal juicer

The Breville Juice Fountain Plus JE98XL is at the top of the list of virtually every expert round-up. It's powerful but quiet, with an extra-wide feeding tube that helps to cut down on the prep time inherent in juicing. The JE98XL is also super easy to use, with intuitive, easy to understand controls. The variable speed options allow it to handle a large variety of fruits and vegetables, while producing an impressive quantity of juice. Experts and owners say it's a sturdy, durable choice for any kitchen.

Best citrus juicer

If your primary juicing needs are citrus fruits for making juice, look no further than the Proctor Silex Alex's Lemonade Stand Citrus Juicer. This juicer includes two different-sized reamers that nest together for storage, and a detachable 34-ounce jar. Also known as the Proctor Silex 66331, it is very easy to use and, in spite of its small size, manages to squeeze out every bit of juice from fresh citrus fruits. Best of all, with each purchase, Proctor Silex makes a donation to help fund childhood cancer research.

Best masticating juicer

The single-auger Omega J8004 is a masticating juicer that gets universal praise for the high quality of juice it produces. It does not heat up the ingredients as it works, and the results are virtually foam-free, leaving behind only a dry, crumbly pulp. The J8004 works really well with just about any fruit, but really shines with tough vegetables -- even super challenging items like kale and wheatgrass. The J8005 comes with a 15-year warranty, but reviewers say you're unlikely to ever need it.

Best manual juicer

Experts and owners agree that the Oxo Good Grips Citrus Juicer is highly efficient and very easy to use. The built-in strainer catches seeds and most of the pulp, and it's simple to assemble, disassemble and clean. This manual citrus juicer includes two reamers, small and large, to handle any size citrus fruit. The clear juice collection cup features easy-to-read measurement markings and a handy pour spout. It's a great choice if you just need a few tablespoons of juice for a recipe.

Types of Juicers

By far the most popular type of juicer, centrifugal juicers can handle a variety of fruits and vegetables quickly and efficiently. Most tend to get poorer reviews for handling tough, leafy greens, but some do better than other in reviews. The best centrifugal juicers are easy to use and clean, and extract the maximum amount of juice from your produce, leaving little waste. They can be noisy, however, so look for one that gets good reviews for its quiet performance.

This type of juicer has a small electric motor and does a good job of scouring the juice out of any type of citrus fruit. The best can handle multiple batches without burning up, and even the less-expensive models can easily keep a family in fresh orange juice or lemonade. They're not appropriate for heavy use and they won't juice vegetables or non-citrus fruits. Citrus juicers are sometimes incorrectly referred to as citrus reamers. A citrus reamer is actually a simple, one-piece tool that juices a single orange, lemon or lime, but does not strain the juice, that needs to be done as a separate step. Electric citrus juicers have a built-in strainer.

Masticating juicers can grind the juice out of even the toughest vegetables. Some can even act almost as a food processor, making nut butters, grinding spices, making baby food and even extruding pasta. The big selling point of a masticating juicer is its slow crushing process that wrings every bit of juice from the produce without heating it up. Some nutritionists believe this helps to maintain the enzymes and nutrients in the greens, so you get a bigger nutritional bang for your buck. Others say there's no proof of that, but these juicers are growing in popularity as vegetable juice and juice cleanses become a part of the mainstream American way of eating.

This is the go-to tool for those who may just need an occasional few tablespoons of lemon, lime or orange juice, but don't want to keep the bottled stuff around. Some are handheld -- you just place the fruit into the mechanism and squeeze it. Others sit on a counter and juice into a small, included bowl; you just have to press down. Some juice presses can be pricey, but they get great reviews for efficiency and durability. Manual juicers are particularly popular with folks who may have an at-home bar set-up, because they are ideal for creating individual mixed drinks.

It's
important to note that none of these machines are smoothie makers and aren't
suitable for super soft fruits like bananas. If you have a yen for a smoothie,
see our separate report on blenders. For a versatile appliance that can
chop, dice, mix, blend and shred, see our report on food processors.

ConsumerSearch
editors evaluated expert roundups, professional tests and hundreds of owner reviews
to find the best centrifugal, electric, masticating and manual juicers. We
looked at the results of tests performed by ConsumerReports.org, Cook's
Illustrated, TopTenReviews.com and Good Housekeeping, as well as comprehensive
roundups done by TheSweethome.com and BonAppetit.com. Consumer reviews at sites
such as Amazon.com and Walmart.com speak to issues such as long term durability
and reliability. In addition to performance, which is the most important
factor, we looked at ease of assembly, use and cleaning because if any of those
are a hassle, your juicer will probably just sit in a cupboard somewhere. Noise
is also factored in because a loud appliance can be annoying. The products we
chose rise to the top in every category and the range of sizes and prices means
we found a juicer that will fit into most people's lifestyle, budget and
kitchen.

The best centrifugal juicers

While we
normally like to avoid single-product love fests, this is one of the few times
that simply isn't possible because the Breville Juice Fountain line of juicers
hits all the high notes: Easy to assemble, use, disassemble and, according to most
reports, clean; with great performance that is quiet, versatile and durable.

Although we
could have picked almost any model in the series, the Breville Juice Fountain Plus JE98XL (Est. $150) rises to the top because of its reasonable price along
with its generous, 1.1-quart-cup juice capacity. Some juicers in the series are
larger, some smaller, but reviewers say the JE98XL is a great appliance for the
casual to serious juicer, as well as for any size family. It's clearly a better
value than the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL (Est. $290), which has nearly identical features at twice the price. The
800JEXL does get better reviews, overall, for pulverizing leafy greens with
less liquid left in the pulp, though, so if that's your priority, this one
might be a better fit for your kitchen.

Users and
professional testers say the JE98XL handles fruits and vegetables with equal
ease. Its two speeds means it can wrangle tough items like leafy greens, or smooth
softer fruits without turning them in a mushy mess. Reviewers love the wide,
3-inch food chute that cuts down on food prep. The only quibbles we saw were in
the area of ease of cleaning. While experts, and some owners, say its smooth,
crevice-free surfaces make it easy to clean, others say that cleaning is time-consuming
and they wish that all parts were dishwasher safe. The bowl and blades are
dishwasher safe, while the filter basket, disc and food pusher are not. The
JE98Xl gets the highest marks of any juicer we've seen for durability, and
owners say it's stable and sturdy even at top speed.

The other
standout choice in the Juice Fountain Plus series is the Breville Juice Fountain Compact BJE200XL (Est. $100). The BJE200XL is a
powerful performer in a smaller package than the JE98XL. It has only one speed
and a slightly smaller juice-cup capacity (25 ounces), but it performs just as
well as its bigger brothers and costs less than some smaller, citrus-only
juicers. It's an excellent choice for a small kitchen or for servicing just one
or two people.

If, for
whatever reason, you don't want a Breville, or just want a cheap juicer for
occasional use, the Hamilton Beach 67650A Big Mouth Pro (Est. $50)
gets Very Good ratings for performance, ease of use and convenience features
from ConsumerReports.org. Users agree with that assessment, saying it's very
easy to use and they like how efficiently it pulverizes even larger pieces of
fruit, then funnels it into a waiting glass or jar. Like the Breville, the Big
Mouth gets mixed reviews for ease-of-cleaning, but many note that using a
soft-bristled brush makes getting the pulp out a breeze. This juicer is not the
best choice for leafy or tough vegetables, however, and some users note that it
produces a lot of foam over time, possibly due to dulling of the blades. However,
for the price, and if you're not going to use it for challenging items, the Hamilton
Beach Big Mouth Pro is a great buy.

ConsumerSearch editors personally research every product category to recommend the best choices. Expert review sources are heavily weighted, but user reviews, especially those where durability or usability are a factor, are crucial to helping us finalize our top picks.

How to Support Our Work

Like most other product review sites, ConsumerSearch is supported by a combination of commissions on the sale of the products we recommend and ads that are placed on our site by Google. If you find something you like, you can help support us by clicking through and buying the products we pick. Our editorial process is independent and unbiased; we don’t accept product samples, requests for reviews or product mentions, or direct advertising.